International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies the role of this risk factor in cancer development.[1]

An estimated 50-70% of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and 50-90% of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) in fair skinned people are caused by radiation.[2]

Sunburn

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) risk is around twice as high in people who burn and never tan when exposed to the sun, compared with those who tan and never burn, a meta-analysis showed.[3] BCC risk is 69% higher in people who tan and rarely burn, and 55% higher in people who often burn then tan, compared with those who tan and never burn.[3]

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) risk is not associated with a history of sunburn, a cohort study showed.[4]

Sunbathing

26% of men and 33% of women in Britain actively try to get a tan, data from 1999 showed; rates were even higher in younger people.[5] Holidays abroad by UK residents have become increasingly popular in recent decades.[6] Climate changes may increase the strength of solar radiation and lead to more time spent in direct sunlight (due to warmer weather), with possible consequences for skin cancer incidence rates.[7] The impact of sunscreen use on skin cancer risk remains unclear, due largely to methodological limitations and other behaviours which may accompany (and perhaps counteract) sunscreen use.[8-15]

Sunbathing, tanning or burning should not be necessary to make sufficient vitamin D to obtain health benefits.

Chronic sun exposure

BCC risk is 43% higher in people who work outdoors, compared with those who do not, a meta-analysis showed.[16] SCC risk is 77% higher in outdoor workers compared with indoor workers, a meta-analysis showed.[17] These associations are stronger in countries nearer the equator.[16,17]

International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies the role of this risk factor in cancer development.[1]

SCC risk is at least 67% higher in people who have ever used a sunbed (at any age), compared with sunbed never-users, meta-analyses have shown.[2,3] Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) risk is up to 29% higher in people who have ever used a sunbed (at any age), compared with sunbed never-users, a meta-analysis showed.[2,3] BCC risk is 40% higher in people who first used a sunbed before age 25, a meta-analysis showed.[3] Melanoma skin cancer and BCC risk are increased in people who have ever used a sunbed even if they have not been burned while doing so, case-control studies have shown.[4-6] Early-onset melanoma and BCC risk may be increased by sunbed use, cohort studies have shown.[7]

2% of adults in Britain trying to get a tan do so using a sunbed/tanning machine only, data from 1999 showed.[8] 5-6% of young people use or have used sunbeds, data from 2008 and 2009 showed.[9,10] Higher sunbed use rates in young females than young males may explain their higher melanoma incidence rates.[11,12] Sunbed use by under-18s is banned in Scotland, England and Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Sunbed use may be particularly dangerous for children; for people with skin phototypes I or II, many moles (naevi), a history of frequent childhood sunburn, pre-malignant/malignant skin lesions, or sun-damaged skin; and for people wearing cosmetics or taking medications which may enhance their UV-sensitivity.[13,14] In addition to increased skin cancer risk, sunbed users may also be at increased risk of eye damage, photodermatosis, photosensivity and premature skin ageing.[13]

Hair colour

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) risk is around twice as high in people with red hair, compared with dark-haired people, a meta-analysis showed.[1] BCC risk is 69% higher in people with red/blonde hair, 38% higher in blondes, and 27% higher in people with light brown hair, compared with dark-haired people.[1]

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) risk is higher in people with red and light blonde hair, compared with people with black hair, case-cohort study has shown.[2]

Eye colour

BCC risk is 68% higher in people with blue/blue-grey eyes, compared with dark-eyed people, a meta-analysis showed.[1] BCC risk is 61% higher in people with green/green-grey-hazel eyes, and 58% higher in people with blue-grey/green-hazel eyes, compared with dark-eyed people.[1]

Moles

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) risk is 60% higher in people with moles, compared with people without moles, a meta-analysis showed.[1]

Most moles are genetically determined, appearing during childhood or adolescence.[2-4] Sun exposure can increase the number of moles, with chronic sun exposure more influential than number of sunburn episodes.[2]

Freckles

BCC risk is 57% higher in people with freckles as a child, compared with people without freckles as a child, a meta-analysis showed.[1] BCC risk is not associated with the presence of freckles in adulthood.[1]

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) risk is increased in people with a family history of the same disease, a cohort study has shown.[1] Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) risk is increased in people with a family history of melanoma skin cancer, a cohort study has shown.[2]

Psoriasis

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) risk is around five times as high in people with psoriasis, compared with the general population, a meta-analysis showed.[1] Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) risk is around twice as high in people with psoriasis, compared with the general population, a meta-analysis showed.[1]

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) risk among people with IBD may be higher in those treated with thiopurines versus those not, but evidence is unclear, a meta-analysis showed.[2]

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) risk is 12% lower, and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) risk is 11% lower, per 5-unit BMI increment, a meta-analysis showed.[1] Again, this may reflect self-limited sun exposure in people with higher BMI;[1-3] the association with SCC may be limited to women.[2]

Early onset melanoma skin cancer risk is more than doubled in people weighing 4.5-6kg at birth, compared with those weighing 3-3.5kg at birth, a cohort study showed.[4]

International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies the role of this risk factor in cancer development.[1]

Melanoma skin cancer or NMSC risk is 14% higher in people who receive at least one computed tomography (CT) scan of the brain before age 20, with no significant effect of CT scans to other anatomical sites, a cohort study showed.[2]

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) risk is higher in atomic bomb survivors compared with the general population, a cohort study showed, with a greater risk increase in those exposed at a younger age.[3]

International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies the role of this risk factor in cancer development.[1] An estimated 7% (males) and 1% (females) of non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) in Britain are due to occupational exposures (including solar radiation).[2]

Cancer stats explained

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